Collection
by Arina Ketchum
Summary: A collection of short stories that fall into the Arina Ketchum universe. If you haven't read any of Arina's other stories, you might be lost on some of these.


Welcome back, readers! There's been a lot of turmoil in my life recently, but the storm seems to be leaving, so we're looking at full speed ahead with fanfic. This is going to be a collection of short stories within the Arina Ketchum universe. Some will have Arina in them, some won't. Thanks for reading, and as always, feedback is appreciated!

Collection

Chapter 1 – Despair

By Arina Ketchum

'HOPE DWINDLING FOR KETCHUM CHILD'

'THEORIES ABOUND ON DISAPPEARANCE OF KETCHUM KID'

'"WE JUST WANT HER BACK", PARENTS BEG'

It had been close to two weeks since Arina Ketchum had disappeared, right under her parents noses at the boardwalk carnival. The newspapers had talked of literally nothing else since then. Ash and Misty, her parents, were distraught and grief-stricken, as well as guilt-ridden. For once, they weren't blaming each other; they were too engulfed in blaming themselves.

After another long day of searching, the Ketchums returned once again to the beach house they had rented, exhausted from searching in the heat of the summer sun and humidity. Ash had his arm around his wife as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"What if we don't find her, Ash?" Misty asked with desperation evident in her voice. "What if she's in the hands of some sick, depraved -"

"Stop it, Misty," Ash ordered her gently. "Try and picture her when we _do_ find her, safe and sound."

Misty only started crying again. Ash had tried to think positively, too, but the odds of find her alive at this point were _very_ slim. The idea that some disturbed individual was doing God-knows-what with his daughter made him ill.

"Mr. Ketchum?" A police officer, a subordinate of Jenny's, came out to the porch as they were arriving at the house. Pikachu and Togepi followed on his heels, Pikachu wordlessly jumping onto Ash's free shoulder. Misty came forward and scooped up Togepi who was attempting the front steps. "One of the teams found something."

'Something' didn't mean they'd found Arina. Ash and Misty hurried inside. Detective Jenny, the lead officer on the case, stopped them at the mud room.

"We found something in the northern part of the city. We're going to need you to confirm –"

"Confirm what?" Misty cried hysterically. "Did you find her?"

"Mrs. Ketchum, please." Jenny tried to soothe her. "We found a pile of children's clothes in a drainage ditch by the side of the road, matching the description you gave us."

Misty howled and buried her face in Ash's shoulder. Ash was shaking, and tears were brimming in his own eyes.

"Show us." Ash demanded through clenched teeth. He hoped to God they were wrong.

Jenny led them into the kitchen, where the clothes had been laid out on the table. Misty wailed when she saw them, and fell to her knees, her red hair covering her tear-stained cheeks. "My baby! My baby!" she cried.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu jumped down to the floor and patted Misty thigh in an attempt to comfort her.

"Those are her clothes," Ash could only say. His mind was reeling, and realization was sinking in that Arina might well and truly be gone now.

Jenny motioned another officer to quickly remove the items from the table and put them in a plastic evidence bag.

"I have to go." Ash said in a distant voice.

"But Mr. Ketchum -"

"Ash?" Misty looked up at him.

"I have to go." Ash stated again, and wandered through the house and out the door. Distantly, he could hear Pikachu calling for him, but he didn't react. He found himself walking faster and faster, until he broke into a full run. His tears blurred his vision, and he jaywalked through several lights, nearly hit by cars several times. It wasn't until he reached a playground surrounded by a chain link fence that he stopped.

Arina would have loved to come here and play.

"She can't be gone! She can't be!" he clutched at the fence as he sobbed, the fence shaking noisily at his weight. "My little girl…Why wasn't I paying attention?"

"Ash?" a very familiar, very unwelcome voice asked softly behind him.

Ash whirled around in disbelief. "James?"

Before the Team Rocket member could do or say anything, Ash had nailed a punch to James' jaw, knocking him down.

"Where is she? WHERE IS SHE?" Ash pulled James up by the blue oxford shirt he was wearing and shook him violently.

"We don't have her!" James squealed, and held his hands over his face. "I swear on my life we don't!"

"You know who does! Tell me!"

"Ash, please," James pleaded. "Let me up! I promise I won't run, but Jessie and I don't have her!"

Ash somewhat relented by letting go of James, and the blue haired man fell onto the grass. "If this is all some damn plot to get Pikachu -"

"It's not," James tentatively sat up.

"So why are you here?" Ash asked in a hard tone.

James stood and brushed his jeans off, and paused, as if contemplating his answer would be welcome or not. "I came to offer my help."

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me," Ash spat, running his hand through his black hair. This nightmare was only getting more twisted by the minute.

"It's the truth! Jessie and I have kids, too, and the idea of either of them going missing…" James shook his head. "We're bad, but kidnapping a child takes things beyond levels we're willing to go, even for our job."

"Didn't stop you from kidnapping Pikachu all those times," Ash muttered. "Were you asked to take her?"

"No, and I've heard _nothing_ in Team Rocket chatter that suggests anyone else was asked, or actually went through with it. Something this big would have garnered some gossip, and _someone_ would have gloated by now."

"Then Team Rocket doesn't have her." This news made Ash feel even worse, rather than better. Team Rocket was generally not in the business of kidnapping children, but if James and Jessie had been involved, he knew they at least wouldn't have harmed her. He hesitated sharing the next bit of information he had regarding Arina, but all things considered, it probably wouldn't hurt.

"They found her clothes in the north end of town today."

"Oh, God." James was stunned. "Not…her?"

Ash shook his head, bowing it in shame. "I couldn't deal. I just had to get out of there."

"Then there's still a chance," James said and he put a hand on Ash's shoulder. "Keep looking for her; don't give up! I'm going back – we have a lot of underground connections. Someone knows _something_."

"You're going to help look for her?" Ash realized he now must be dreaming, but the passion in James' voice was not fake. Team Rocket help _him_?

"As I said, Jessie and I have kids, too. Besides, you twerps helped us a lot in the past, as ungrateful as we were."

"Thank you." Ash couldn't believe he was actually thanking his enemy.

"I have to go; Jessie will murder me if I'm not back for dinner. I'll contact you if I find out something."

James disappeared into the lengthening shadows of the evening, and Ash found himself alone again. He turned back to the darkening playground, and stared at it morosely.

"Where are you, Arina," he whispered fervently into the night, "Where are you?"

End Chapter 1


End file.
